Vol 2 Chapter 511: Still cold war

As soon as he walked out of the studio, Duke saw Tina Fey approaching him, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Eileen just called you."
Handing the phone to Duke, Tina Fei said, "She is in Shanghai now, and will be here in the afternoon, and she will leave tomorrow. You'd better call her back."
Duke nodded and asked Tina Fei to take care of the follow-up matters. He walked to a quiet place, dialed Irene Lauder’s number, said a few words briefly, and agreed to meet at the Peace Hotel. He hung up the phone.
Rejecting Yang Lan’s invitation to dinner, Duke rushed back in the car as quickly as possible. In recent years, Irene Lauder’s makeup brand is at a critical stage in its infancy. She is almost a trapeze. I talk on the phone regularly, and I can't see you several times a year.
Even to completely open the European market, Irene Lauder settled in Paris for a while.
Back at the hotel, Duke went directly to the western restaurant he had arranged for, walked in and asked the waiter briefly, and then under the leadership of the other party, walked to the deck in the corner. There was still some distance away from him. I saw a friend whom I haven't seen for half a year.
Irene Lauder’s blond hair is neatly tied behind her head, and her face is basically without makeup. Although she is the same age as him, she maintains her well, ∑, the years do not leave too obvious marks, and her body is green All faded away, replaced by quietness and maturity, especially after seeing Duke, the blue eyes that turned around were shining with wisdom.
But with wisdom and happiness, she sat there quietly, and did not stand up. The curvature of the corners of her mouth showed that she was in a good mood at this moment.
With the friendship between the two for so many years, there is no such exquisiteness. Duke walked over and sat across from her.
"Don't recognize me?" Duke noticed that Irene's eyes kept moving with him.
Irene Lauder smiled more happily, and deliberately said, "I just want to see if the director at the box office and the best director at the Oscar is different from the past."
Duke opened the menu, "Did you find out?"
"You're still the same." Irene Lauder exhorted the waiter. Then he said, "It's hard like a rock."
"I have ordered it, you can order your own." She said again.
Duke nodded, ordered some western food casually, and when the waiter left, he said, "Aren't you the same?"
The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.
They are also under great pressure, but they keep moving forward under pressure. In their respective fields, they can all be regarded as winners.
Duke's veal steak and Irene Lauder's vegetable Sarah were quickly delivered. Looking at the diced vegetables with almost no salad dressing, Duke had already taken it off.
Except for a few people with special physiques, whether they are men or women, they have to pay a certain price if they want to maintain a good body after they are thirty years old.
"Why come to Shanghai?" Duke asked while eating.
"Something went wrong with a store. I'll come and have a look." Irene Lauder seemed helpless, "I will leave early tomorrow morning. I'm going to Tokyo."
"Solve it?"
Seeing Irene nodded, Duke couldn't help sighing, "You have been busier than me these years."
"No way, you have become the most successful director on the planet." Irene shrugged playfully, "My career is still in its preliminary stages of development."
"Annual sales exceed one billion US dollars or is it preliminary development?" Duke raised his eyebrows.
Irene Lauder laughed, "It only surpassed one billion last year. Others don't know, don't you know, my aerin series products can develop rapidly with the help of the entire Estee Lauder Group."
Of course Duke knows this, although the aerin brand of the same name is wholly owned by Irene Lauder. But to have today's scale, her efforts are the key, and the support of the Lauder family is also an important factor.
Standing on the shoulders of giants is easier to succeed, not just talking.
"But it will be much better in the future." Irene ate only a small amount, put down her fork, picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth gently, and continued, "The company's layout in major global markets has basically been completed. I use In five years, a relatively mature team has also been run-in. It will no longer fly around in the future. I believe the free time will also increase."
"Should I say congratulations?" Duke didn't eat much.
Irene handed over a napkin, pointed at the corner of his mouth, and said, "From our relationship, it's not necessary."
"What about here?" Duke took the napkin and wiped his mouth. "Where is your store open?"
"Several first-tier cities." Irene Lauder said, "Sales here are not ideal."
Duke lifted his chin with one hand and thought for a while before he said, "My personal opinion, you'd better prepare early. Irene, the market potential here is amazing, with a population of more than 1.3 billion, and The economy is developing very fast, and the demand for high-end products in the future will definitely be huge."
"Well, I will make people pay attention." Irene looked at Duke, "That's why you came here."
The two have known each other for more than ten years. She knows Duke very well. When her friend put down the camera, it was no different from her businessman.
"You know me." Duke did not deny it.
No matter what reason he finds to cover up, he came here just like in North America, after all, he wants to make money. Although he can't make money now, the potential future profit is extremely high.
After all, the skyrocketing market here is getting closer and closer.
When the number of screens in China exceeds 20,000, the global US$500 million is only the entry barrier for commercial masterpieces, and even the global box office does not reach one billion US dollars. I am embarrassed to say that I am a commercial film with a big box office.
Although by the time he waved goodbye to the world, the box office share of Hollywood movies was still 25%, but this is the amount paid by China Film Group after deducting tax and publicity expenses, which almost means pure profit.
Of course, the China Film Group is not good at it. Its credibility is not much better than that of Hollywood companies. Delays in payment and even defaults on the sub-accounts of overseas films have not happened without incident. It has even had international lawsuits with Hollywood companies.
"Do you have any familiar female stars here?" Irene Lauder asked suddenly.
"No..." Duke shook his head. "What are you going to do?"
Irene didn't hide it, and said directly, "Find the best of them to speak for my products."
"Go to someone at Warner." Duke reached out his hand. "Give me a pen and your memo pad."
Taking the signature pen and memo pad that Irene handed him, Duke turned on the phone and looked through it, leaving Phil's personal phone number to him.
"This is the person in charge of the Warner Bros. company in China. I will call him when I go back."
Irene is also welcome, and after taking it, she casually said, "Thank you then."
Duke smiled and shook his head. In fact, with the reputation of the Estée Lauder Group, as long as Irene releases the news, people who want to get this endorsement may be able to stand on Nanjing Road.
The two talked about their own work. Apart from busy work, this conversation between old friends is undoubtedly an excellent way to relax.
Gradually, the topic turned to Duke's personal issues.
"You haven't made up yet?" Irene asked.
Duke froze for a moment, "We? Make up?"
"You and Evie." Irene reminded him and said again, "Since the Oscars, gossip tabloids have been hyping up problems between you. Although you haven't mentioned it, I can always understand a little bit. Are you separating?"
"Still in the cold war." Duke sighed, "I don't want to compromise on some things, and she doesn't want to give in."
Irene thought for a while, and then persuaded, "My dear, you are a man, and you should have a broader mind. This is not like your style of doing things."
Duke just said, "It involves my mother and Scarlett."
"Yeah." Irene nodded, but didn't say anything. She knew Duke's importance to her mother.
In fact, until now, the problem is no longer as simple as Mrs. Leah and Scarlett Johansson. On a board of directors of the instant sharing company, Duke asked his agent David to reject a financing, and the funds Behind him, Donald Trump can be seen faintly.
To put it bluntly, Donald Trump has already used him to make a lot of money. Because of Ivanka, Duke has repeatedly backed down, and human greed never ends. He obviously imposes certain things on Ivanka. Pressure, like Mrs. Leah did to Duke, Ivanka also values ​​Donald’s father.
Even if Donald Trump is Ivanka's father, Duke cannot tolerate unlimitedly, allowing him to share the huge cake of the future in a company with unlimited potential.
He did take the initiative to invite Ivanka back to the Duke’s Manor, but Donald Trump’s repeated actions made him worried.
Even if Duke is reluctant to admit it, he cannot change a fact. At the level of him and Ivanka, the relationship between the two is more than just two people.
Ivanka has opinions about his mother and Duke has concerns about Ivanka's father. This is the reality in recent months.
Until now, the two are still in a state of cold war. Duke once wanted to talk to Ivanka, but was rejected.
Duke intends to wait for a while, until both of them can completely calm down, and then talk about the future, otherwise talking with prejudices will only push the future in a worse direction.
As old friends, when the two were about to leave, Irene Lauder persuaded Duke, "Ivanka is a good girl, so you should think of a way."
"I know." Duke was rather helpless. "It's just Donald Trump, some are unbearable."
Irene is not happy to say more, "I'm leaving, and see you when I return to North America." (To be continued...)
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